The Nerd, I feel obliged to suffer through them at least once.
(but only because it has nerds in it.)
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Nerd's Eye View - Release 7.0
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About The Column
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About The Author
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The Updates section contains an index of previous Nerd's Eye View columns, with updated materials from time to time.
Release 6.0 - The Nerd's New Notebook
(Appeared on Nautilus June 1993, Vol 3-6)
I got my Xircom PCMCIA network card in the mail the other day, and it didn't work! According to both Xircom and Micro Center, it's the WinBook's fault. Micro Center is working on drivers for it as I write this. I'll let you know what comes of it.
Release 5.0 - MS-DOS 6.0
(Appeared on Nautilus May 1993, Vol 3-5)
Release 4.0 - Input Devices
(Appeared on Nautilus April 1993, Vol 3-4)
Release 3.0 - Bill Clinton
(Appeared on Nautilus February 1993, Vol 3-2)
Release 2.0 - Marge Schott
(Appeared on Nautilus January 1993, Vol 3-1)
Release 1.0 - Windows vs. OS/2
(Appeared on Nautilus Vol 2-13)
OS/2 2.1 is out. I don't have it yet, but I know someone who does. From what I've seen, OS/2 2.1 is to OS/2 2.0 what Windows 3.1 was to Windows 3.0. And I had Nautilus running under OS/2 2.1 with no problems.
it's no wonder Major League Baseball is having so many problems.
Release 1.0 - Windows vs. OS/2 (Appeared on Nautilus Vol 2-13)
OS/2 2.1 should be out by the time you read this, and Windows NT should follow not too long after. And Microsoft is working on a combined Windows 4/MS-DOS 7 product code named Chicago. It's about to get bloody.
about to get bloody.
2 (Appeared on Nautilus Vol 2-13)
By the way, my editor was kidding.
Updatesnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
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I went to the Nautilus Open House on Saturday, June 19. If you were there, you probably saw me; I was the one maintaining the low profile. For those who weren't there, it was something the Metatec/Nautilus staff set up to let subscribers meet the staff, see where they work, and learn about Nautilus and multimedia in various break-out sessions. I went to a few of the sessions, and they were all very enjoyable. One of them was a sneak preview of the new Nautilus layout, due in the fall. I can tell you, we're all in for a treat come fall. And the tour of the manufacturing plant was good, even if it did take twice as long as scheduled. My only other complaint was that the schedule seemed a little uneven. There were periods where nothing was going on at all, followed by periods where *everything* was going on, and I had to pick among several interesting topics, inevitably missing some. If they have another one next year, I'll be back, if only to try to pick up some of the stuff I missed.
I decided to beat the rush, and start my political campaigning now. I've picked my candidates, and even came up with a slogan for them. Of course, a lot can happen in three years, and they both have elections to win in 1994 first. But I figured it was good for a laugh if nothing else.
Weld/Kasich '96 -- Not just any change. Change for the better.
scheduled
Author's Notessssssnnn
scheduled
So I missed one of the sessions I had planned to attend
was good as new. You clean it just like a mouse, only upside down. And I really do use the trackball all the time, as I realized when I started having problems with it. I'd still love to have a pen/keyboard machine like the GRiD Convertible, but that's only a 386, and it's $800 [at last count] more. I'll wait.
Networking
What good is a notebook computer if you can't use it with your desktop machine? I've got a Lantastic Z [Lantastic Z is a 2-node-only network that works over the serial or parallel port.] network in my home office that I've modified to enable me to hook up my notebook, when needed. I'm also looking forward to getting a PCMCIA network card [Xircom is offering one for half-price if you trade in an old network card.]. With it, I will immediately be able to tie in to the network where I am currently working [on contract.]. Later, when I get my own hardware network [probably a Lantastic network, so my configurations will already be in place.], I will already have all the hardware I need for my notebook.
In the meantime, I've made good use of MS-DOS 6's INTERLNK. At home, I used it several times before I set up Lantastic Z, with no problems. I even transerred one of the space shuttle videos from Nautilus. At 11 MB, it took about 15 minutes, but it did work. At my contract site, I have a 286 at my desk, which is connected to a VINES network. I run a serial cable from the 286 to the notebook, and with INTERLNK running, I am able to print from my notebook computer to the network printer in one step. DOS doesn't realize that what I'm calling LPT2 is actually LPT1 on the 286, redirected by INTERLNK, which is actually the network printer, redirected by VINES. The only trick is, under Windows I have to use LPT2.DOS, so Windows will use DOS services to find LPT2, instead of looking for the hardware itself. [This is the kind of thing that makes a nerd's life worth living.]
Problems
This experience has not been without its problems. For a while, the machine would lock up without warning while the machine was just sitting there, doing nothing. And the trackball got dirty and started sticking. I have a thing about calling technical support lines, though. Some sort of SuperNerd self-image I try to maintain, I think. A *real* nerd would be able to figure it out, or something. But just for this column, I made the supreme sacrifice, and called them up. And the tech support guy had a quick answer to each problem. The lockup problem was caused by POWER.EXE, he said. So I REM'ed it out [he offered to tell me how, but I politely declined. The Nerd has his limits.] of my CONFIG.SYS, and haven't had any problems since. And he told me how open up the trackball, so I could clean it out. At first, I wasn't even sure it *was* user serviceable, but considering how quickly it gets mucked up, it obviously has to be.
Portablility
A few days after I got the notebook, I was forced to go to a training session. So I hauled it along. Somehow, I managed to forget to bring along notepaper [really!], so I ended up taking notes on the computer. It worked out pretty well, actually. I haven't made it a normal process, yet, but that may happen.
Then, yesterday, I lost power in my house for about an hour and a half. No problem. Just pull out the notebook, and work on the column. When the power came back on, I plugged it into the wall, and continued to work on the column while I watched the Indianapolis 500. [Of course, as the race progressed, I ended up watching it *instead of* working on the column, but without the notebook, I may not have worked on it at all.]
On the down side, I haven't yet come up with a way to haul this sucker around. I bought the case they sell with the machine, but it's almost too small to hold the computer *and* all the cables and stuff; forget about the rest of the junk in my briefcase. So I got a *big* case, that could carry everything in one bag, but that guy is *heavy* [as in 20 pounds, fully loaded. And I only weigh 100 myself!]. I like the big case, but it's just too much to lug around. So I'm thinking of going back to a two-bag system for now, but getting a case slightly bigger than the original one. Hopefully, when I get my calendar and daily log and everything transferred to the computer, I'll be able to eliminate enough stuff that I can go back to one case [which is why it has to be bigger], and ditch the briefcase.
Right now, I'm looking for the *best* PIM[Personal Information Manager.], so I can try to keep track of my life. If you have a notebook computer, a PIM is really a must. Even with a PIM that's nearly good enough, I've managed to be more organized than before. Almost *too* organized, because now I have to deal with some of the more unpleasant things in my life that I managed to never have time for before. For now, it's between Franklin Ascend, which I *almost* like, and Lotus Organizer, which I have to try out, because I've heard so many good things about it. Right now, I have it on order.
Nautilus had PIMs in the software demos section a few issues back, so I was able to play with a few of the working demos from there. Is Nautilus great, or what?
Three weeks later...
I'm still gung ho about keeping the ol' notebook. My enthusiasm waned for a while when I was having problems, but with those problems solved, I can say again that "it ain't goin' back." I haven't gotten the PCMCIA network card yet, I haven't settled on a PIM yet, and I haven't yet worked out backing up the hard drive, but I expect these things will be solved by the time you read this. So I guess I'll have to wait a while longer for a new motherboard, a new monitor and video card, a hardware network, and a *real* printer. I've got a notebook!
eo card, a hardware network, and a *real* printer. I've got a notebook!
for a new motherboard, a new monitor and video card, a hardware network, and a *real* printer. I've got a notebook!
printer. I've got a notebook!
got a notebook!
decision to buy. That was over two months ago, as I write this. Now PC-Tools for Windows is out, and a friend of mine tells me it's really neat. But I'm not ready to take that risk yet. Instead, I'm seriously considering Norton.
Conclusion
As I said at the top, I like MS-DOS 6. It installed so cleanly, I was recommending it to friends before I'd even had a chance to really use it. It adds several utilities, which bring the lowest common denominator up yet another notch. And everything I've tried has been rock solid. Of the things that I haven't had a chance to try yet [most notably, Doublespace], I've heard nothing but good things. Buy it now, before the price goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
129.95 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
d retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
1, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
the price [Suggested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
er that.] goes up.
"Home Row" to jump to the mouse to move around. And when your mouse gets crowded
out of your desk by junk, it's nice to be able to get where you're going without jockeying
around everything on the desk to get to the mouse.
Mouse - Mouses [This word has cause no small amount of controversy. As far as I'm
concerned, "mice" refers to rodents, "mouses" refers to computing devices. You got a
problem with that?] don't make sense. You have this thing connected to a long cable that
you have to move around on top of your desk, so that a little arrow on the screen points
to something. Then you push a button on the mouse [called "clicking" because the button
clicks when you push it. Pretty weird when you think about it, isn't it?] and something
happens. Nobody ever has quite enough space on their desk for a mouse. Still, we all
have them, and we use them all the time. Go figure.
Trackball - An upside-down mouse. Similar enough to a mouse that Microsoft calls
their trackball a mouse. [Which I think should be a crime punishable by death.] The
thing about trackballs is that they don't move around, making them great for portables.
They're also great for playing Missle Command.
Pen - This is what prompted the whole column. Pens are neat. You write on the screen,
and it shows up. The problem is that the pen advocates decided pens were the do-all and
end-all. So most pen computers are portable tablet things with no other means of input.
No, I don't want to do my Word Processing longhand, thank you. And most of us don't
have the budget to buy a computer just because it's neat. So it became a niche product.
Look for that to change, as everyone realizes that pens are just another input device.
And not just for portables. I want a pen that I can add to my desktop machine. [especially
since I don't currently have a portable.]
Touch Screen - I first saw touch screens at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Touch screens are great for selecting options from a menu. They seem to
be making the biggest appearance right now in the sub-computer market. The newest
Sharp Wizard [OZ-9600, I think.] has one. And one of the Casio Data Bank series of
watches does, too.
Stylus and Pad - Sort of like a pen, except you have a special surface to write on. In the
absence of a pen, this would be neat to have to be able to put handwriting directly into a
document. [like a signature.] Actually, any kind of writing or drawing is really a pain
with a mouse; a stylus/pad or pen would be much better for this.
Scanner - Scanners come in two flavors: hand scanners and flatbed scanners. Hand
scanners are cheaper; flatbed scanners are nicer. They both allow you to scan pictures
into your computer. But I understand they're a pain to set up. [just like any other PC
device, I suppose.]
Joystick - Joysticks seem to be the Hula Hoop of the '80s. They're great for action
games, but we, of course, don't play games on our PCs. And Nintendo decided that the
video game system of the '90s should have a Controller From Hell.
Voice - Every once in a while, somebody makes a big deal about voice control of
computers. It's not quite here yet. The world will be a noisier place when it arrives. But
voice control is no more going to be the do-all, end-all than pen computing is. After all,
even on Star Trek, where they do have voice control, they still have push-buttons [old
Trek] or touch pads [new Trek] that they use most of the time. [Ever notice that the
buttons/pads aren't labeled? Talk about user un-friendly! No wonder it takes so long to
get through the Acadamy.]
So is it too much to ask to have all of those devices on my system at once, without
costing me an arm and a leg? At the moment, I think the answer is yes. Especially in the
PC world, where we have slots and IRQs to contend with.
But having only one input device [usually a keyboard] isn't enough anymore. Even on a
portable. For most PC portables, you have to get a trackball with a little clamp to attach
to the side of your machine. But portables are now coming out with multiple input
devices built in. One really neat example is the GRiD Convertible by GRiD Systems.
It's a pen machine that opens up to reveal a keyboard underneath. This is the kind of
thing that is going to open up pen computing to the rest of us. Another good merging of
input devices is the PowerBook by Apple. Sure, it's a Mac, but Apple did a really good
job putting a keyboard and a trackball in the same form factor all the same. Almost
makes me want to get a Mac.
So, where do we go from here? I think we are going to see a continuing expansion in the
number of input devices connected to any particular computer. Which means that users
[including us power users] will be able to use the best tool for the job, instead of just
making do with what they have. [When you need a big black permanent ink marker, using
a pencil is really difficult.] Look for it to happen. The standard computer configuration
of the next century will include not just a pen, but also a keyboard, a touch screen, and a
microphone.
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The Nerd's New Notebookk00000
which is currently a 386/25
mainmachine
mainmachine
printer
backup
a real backup this time, not that poor excuse for a command line interfaceII
doublespace
disk compression, like Stacker, in case you haven't heard
opportunity
or misfortune, depending on your perspective[J
edlin
which, I recently discovered, isn't part of MS-DOS 6
hwnet1
monitor
my current ones are on their last legs.ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
Lantastic Z is great, but it's very slow (ie. 115200 bps), and my current configuration makes it a major pain to make it work.
printer
an HP Deskjet, at least, instead of the 6 year old 9-pin printer I currently use.
goodthings
like you can't break the doublespace install program, even if you try
20MB hard drive, I'll have to clean off some stuff so DOS will fit, first.
drive
I have 5 logical drives on my main system
backup
a real backup this time, not that poor excuse for a command line interface
doublespace
disk compression, like Stacker, in case you haven't heard
opportunity
or misfortune, depending on your perspective
edlin
which, I recently discovered, isn't part of MS-DOS 6?Q
symantec
the company that makes the Norton Utilities.
centralpoint
the company that makes PC-Tools.7R
or anybody else, for that matter
downfall
that's another column topic entirely.
price
Suggested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.
aboutcolumn
About the Columnrrrrrr
aboutauth
Nerd's Eye View is a non-technical opinion column from the perspective of a person who pretty much fits the stereotypical description of a "nerd" (see About the Author for more information). While the column is intended to be non-technical, it covers a wide range of subject matter of interest to the author, some of which is technical in nature (as evidenced by the first column in the series, about Windows vs. OS/2). However, even in these situations, the treatment of the subjects will be as non-technical as possible.
The author hopes to demonstrate that nerds do in fact have interests away from their computers, and opinions on a wide range of topics, whether computer-related or not. The author does not for a minute suggest that his opinions represent those of nerds as a group, any more than they would represent human beings as a group. The author's opinions are his own, and he respectfully requests that you consider them only on their own merit.
The author wishes to emphasize that his opinions are his own, and they do not necessarily represent those of the editors or publishers of this (or any other) publication. The author encourages opposing viewpoints that are intelligent and well-considered, and will accept all others.
vigational hints:
Square boxes surrounding words or groups of words represent "Hotwords." Click on a hotword to get more information. Click on it again to make the information go away.
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About the Author'
aboutauth
The author is your classic nerd: a young male, white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, upper-middle class technophile. His only saving grace to the "Politically Correct" is that he's short. A typical nerd, he has generally had problems with the humanities. Why would one such as the author want to write an opinion column? Well, even nerds have opinions. But they're certainly not going to call the Times-Post-Dispatch-Informer and say, "Can you give me a few inches in this Thursday's Accent?" No self-respecting nerd would even think of such a thing. It has to be Hypertext, Multimedia, and, preferably, distributed on CD-ROM. Something another nerd can look at and say, "Wow! Neat!" If it happens to be coherent, so much the better. And what does the author do when he's not writing opinion columns? He works with computers, of course.....se.computers, of course....mer/Analyst, Consulant; he's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....f course)] with computers, of course....ogrammer/Analyst, Consulant; he's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....uter title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....ented (save Technical Writer, of course)] with computers, of course....ourse)] with computers, of course.... computers, of course.
young
pcorrect
short
humanities
think
hyper
works
pcorrect
an oxymoron, if there ever was oneO
young
still under 30, anyway
humanities
You know: English, history, public speaking, writing opinion columnsO
think
That this author thought of it is one of the reasons the column is written anonymously.
hyper
For you historians looking back at this with your holographic, organic computers, those things were all state-of-the-art in the early 1990's.
"Cool!" is an acceptable alternative.
works
Programmer, Analyst, Programmer/Analyst, Consultant; he's had about every computer title ever invented)ave Technical Writer, of course))
every
every
except, not surprisingly, Technical Writer, of coursee's had about every computer title ever invented (save Technical Writer, of course)7
short
vertically challenged
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1993, Vol 3-1)
Release 1.0 - Windows vs. OS/2 (Appeared on Nautilus Vol 2-13)
The Information Age is well upon us. The amount of information available to us is incredible. The mind boggles. In the past, my experience has been mostly one of just browsing or gee-whiz. Recently though, I've had the need more and more to dig out specific tidbits, for one reason or another. Since one of those reasons is research for the column, I thought it might be interesting to share with you where I go for information, what I'm looking for, and what I find.
Nautilus
Probably the most logical place to start is right here. Every month, hundreds of megabytes of stuff. Looking for shareware? There probably isn't a Windows shareware game released that doesn't make it into the Games section. HighFive gives us the best of the rest. When I was looking for a PIM for my notebook computer, I looked at several packages from the Software Demos section a few issues back. I've even bought a CD featured in From Windham Hill... that I listen to regularly. ###
On-line information services
I subscribe to CompuServe and America Online. I also call a local BBS on a regular basis that is part of the Fidonet BBS Network. And recently, I've had the opportunity to look around the Internet a little. These are all vast repositories of information.
Message Bases
CompuServe calls them Forum Message Bases. America Online sometimes calls them Forums, sometimes calls them Boards, and sometimes just refers to them by name. The Internet calls them mailing lists. And Fidonet refers to them as Echo Conferences. Whatever the name, every major service has dozens, or more likely, hundreds, of them. Not surprisingly, many of them are computer-related. But there are also a great deal of message bases that have nothing at all to do with computers.
Any one of the message bases can keep you busy for hours on end, if you're so inclined. And I know at least a few people who are. I'm not one of them. I don't have what it takes. To me, message bases are like peanuts: you can't have just one. Every once in a while I'll try again, with the same results. I start out slow, but end up trying to read several hundred messages a day. ###
So I gave up for good trying to read the message bases on a regular basis. But for a specific problem or question, the various message bases can be invaluable. People with a great deal of relevant experience generally hang out in the message bases. And for those bases related to a specific computer vendor or package, you'll generally find a representative of the vendor either running the board or heavily involved in the discussions.
Files, Files, Files
On-line information services give you access to thousands of files. You name it, it's out there. It's the major thing I get from my local BBS. The great thing about the BBS is that there's no connect fees. But if I really want a file, I'll pay to download it. I was at a friend's house, and he showed me a neat new shareware game. I wasn't able to get a copy of it from him at that time, for one reason or another, but decided when I got home that I really wanted to play the game some more. No problem. Log on, do a quick file search, and I'm in business. More recently, I've been trying to get my CD-ROM drive to work under OS/2. So I log on and download the latest drivers. OK, so I haven't gotten it to work yet. But at least I know it's not because I don't have the latest drivers. My next big adventure with file downloads is going to be Internet FTP.
Other Stuff
As I've mentioned before, I'm a member of an investment club. And I wouldn't be The Nerd if I didn't go to every meeting with up-to-the-minute prices downloaded from CompuServe. And I don't have to wait for the 11 o'clock news for the latest sports scores; I just read the scores from the on-line news wires. Ditto with national news, or any other news, for that matter. And for historical information, there's always the on-line encyclopedias to complement my CD-ROM encyclopedias.
Low-tech, too
OK, it probably doesn't properly befit someone who calls himself The Nerd, but I get a good deal of information from low-tech sources. Some of it can't be helped. But sometimes, even though it's not as neat, a low-tech information source is more convenient.
In the "can't be helped" category are magazines, books, newspapers, and more magazines. A friend of mine has been accusing me of getting a magazine in the mail every single day. While it's not quite that bad, I do get a bunch of magazines: a few computer journals, a few general interest magazines, and several news magazines from various clubs to which I belong. It all adds up pretty quickly. I generally can't do much more than scan the magazines, maybe read a major article or two, then put them aside for reference. I accumulate books almost as fast as I accumulate magazines. Most of them are fiction, but I do have a healthy supply of reference books. ### And I have a daily newspaper subscription to supplement my access to the on-line news services, in addition to generally picking up a couple of free weekly newspapers during a given week.
All that adds up to a bunch of low-tech information that you can't yet get readily from a high-tech source. But I also use low-tech just because it's easier. For example, I have several electronic dictionaries available: in my word processor, in Microsoft Bookshelf, and on CompuServe. But I still use my paper dictionary most of the time. I leave it opened on a small shelf, and it's much more convenient to use than digging out the Bookshelf CD-ROM. Manuals used to be in this category, too. However, the most recent generation of help files seem to actually be helpful, and if they're not, the manual usually isn't any better. Of course, sometimes there isn't a help file.
Public Library
The ultimate low-tech information source: The Public Library. And it's totally free! I've always been suspicious of "free" stuff. TANSTAAFL, and all that. Maybe that's why I was always late in returning library books when I was a kid. Perhaps I couldn't accept taking books out of the library unless I *paid* for them. ### In any event, I've had several occasions recently to use the services of the local public libraries. I even called up the "Information Line," where you call them up with a question and they research it for you. Pretty cool, even if it is low-tech. I'll tell you, I still don't get it. Sure, I understand intellectually about taxes and donations and volunteers, but I don't really *get* it. But I've decided not to let that stop me. After all, I'm paying for all these free services, aren't I? ###
And it's not all low-tech at the library anymore. At one library I went to, they had a magazine database with stacks and stacks of CD-ROMs that had images of every page from all sorts of different magazines. The index alone took up 5 or 6 ROMs. And card catalogs are going the way of typewriters. You just don't see them much anymore. I even have dial-up access. And if I find something I like, they'll fax it to me.
Conclusion
Low-tech, high-tech, or DeVry Institute of Tech, there's an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
to work them in.], there's an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
ere. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
u need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
ere's an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
t you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
mation out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
at challenge.
challenge.
This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
an unbelievable amount of information out there. Finding what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
uite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
e. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
lenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
allenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
eet that challenge.
g what you need can be quite a challenge. This is one Nerd's way of trying to meet that challenge.
got a notebook!
decision to buy. That was over two months ago, as I write this. Now PC-Tools for Windows is out, and a friend of mine tells me it's really neat. But I'm not ready to take that risk yet. Instead, I'm seriously considering Norton.
Conclusion
As I said at the top, I like MS-DOS 6. It installed so cleanly, I was recommending it to friends before I'd even had a chance to really use it. It adds several utilities, which bring the lowest common denominator up yet another notch. And everything I've tried has been rock solid. Of the things that I haven't had a chance to try yet [most notably, Doublespace], I've heard nothing but good things. Buy it now, before the price goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
129.95 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
5 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
y 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
d retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
1, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
gested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
9.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
the price [Suggested retail: $49.99 until May 31, $129.95 after that.] goes up.
er that.] goes up.
"Home Row" to jump to the mouse to move around. And when your mouse gets crowded
out of your desk by junk, it's nice to be able to get where you're going without jockeying
around everything on the desk to get to the mouse.
Mouse - Mouses [This word has cause no small amount of controversy. As far as I'm
concerned, "mice" refers to rodents, "mouses" refers to computing devices. You got a
problem with that?] don't make sense. You have this thing connected to a long cable that
you have to move around on top of your desk, so that a little arrow on the screen points
to something. Then you push a button on the mouse [called "clicking" because the button
clicks when you push it. Pretty weird when you think about it, isn't it?] and something
happens. Nobody ever has quite enough space on their desk for a mouse. Still, we all
have them, and we use them all the time. Go figure.
Trackball - An upside-down mouse. Similar enough to a mouse that Microsoft calls
their trackball a mouse. [Which I think should be a crime punishable by death.] The
thing about trackballs is that they don't move around, making them great for portables.
They're also great for playing Missle Command.
Pen - This is what prompted the whole column. Pens are neat. You write on the screen,
and it shows up. The problem is that the pen advocates decided pens were the do-all and
end-all. So most pen computers are portable tablet things with no other means of input.
No, I don't want to do my Word Processing longhand, thank you. And most of us don't
have the budget to buy a computer just because it's neat. So it became a niche product.
Look for that to change, as everyone realizes that pens are just another input device.
And not just for portables. I want a pen that I can add to my desktop machine. [especially
since I don't currently have a portable.]
Touch Screen - I first saw touch screens at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Touch screens are great for selecting options from a menu. They seem to
be making the biggest appearance right now in the sub-computer market. The newest
Sharp Wizard [OZ-9600, I think.] has one. And one of the Casio Data Bank series of
watches does, too.
Stylus and Pad - Sort of like a pen, except you have a special surface to write on. In the
absence of a pen, this would be neat to have to be able to put handwriting directly into a
document. [like a signature.] Actually, any kind of writing or drawing is really a pain
with a mouse; a stylus/pad or pen would be much better for this.
Scanner - Scanners come in two flavors: hand scanners and flatbed scanners. Hand
scanners are cheaper; flatbed scanners are nicer. They both allow you to scan pictures
into your computer. But I understand they're a pain to set up. [just like any other PC
device, I suppose.]
Joystick - Joysticks seem to be the Hula Hoop of the '80s. They're great for action
games, but we, of course, don't play games on our PCs. And Nintendo decided that the
video game system of the '90s should have a Controller From Hell.
Voice - Every once in a while, somebody makes a big deal about voice control of
computers. It's not quite here yet. The world will be a noisier place when it arrives. But
voice control is no more going to be the do-all, end-all than pen computing is. After all,
even on Star Trek, where they do have voice control, they still have push-buttons [old
Trek] or touch pads [new Trek] that they use most of the time. [Ever notice that the
buttons/pads aren't labeled? Talk about user un-friendly! No wonder it takes so long to
get through the Acadamy.]
So is it too much to ask to have all of those devices on my system at once, without
costing me an arm and a leg? At the moment, I think the answer is yes. Especially in the
PC world, where we have slots and IRQs to contend with.
But having only one input device [usually a keyboard] isn't enough anymore. Even on a
portable. For most PC portables, you have to get a trackball with a little clamp to attach
to the side of your machine. But portables are now coming out with multiple input
devices built in. One really neat example is the GRiD Convertible by GRiD Systems.
It's a pen machine that opens up to reveal a keyboard underneath. This is the kind of
thing that is going to open up pen computing to the rest of us. Another good merging of
input devices is the PowerBook by Apple. Sure, it's a Mac, but Apple did a really good
job putting a keyboard and a trackball in the same form factor all the same. Almost
makes me want to get a Mac.
So, where do we go from here? I think we are going to see a continuing expansion in the
number of input devices connected to any particular computer. Which means that users
[including us power users] will be able to use the best tool for the job, instead of just
making do with what they have. [When you need a big black permanent ink marker, using
a pencil is really difficult.] Look for it to happen. The standard computer configuration
of the next century will include not just a pen, but also a keyboard, a touch screen, and a
microphone.
browsing
windham
commentary
localbbs
sidetrack
thousands
friend
clubs
reference
books
fiction
confirmed
tanstaafl
"authnote"
buttonUp
buttonUp
authnote
fK>KcK
Information
tanstaafl
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch" from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
confirmed
On the other hand, I confirmed the origin of TANSTAAFL (which I mention below) by looking through my Heinlein books. Even fiction can be reference in the proper context.}M
fiction
and most of the fiction are science fiction or fantasy
books
I'm part of that 4.8 percent in a recent USA Today poll who buy 25 or more books a month
reference
whether or not I'm actually able to find anything is another story.
clubs
everything from the Auto Club to the National Space Society to the International Jugglers' Association.
File Transfer ProtocolaP
friend
a different friend from the one I mentioned previously. Contrary to popular belief, The Nerd does in fact have more than one friend.
well, 15 minute delayed, but we're talking closing prices anyway.
at that time, anyway-R
sidetrack
Just trying to find out what America Online calls their message bases side-tracked me for over an hour in the Star Trek Boards. And on a column deadline, no less..%S
localbbs
Colossus, the Bulletin Board System of the Columbus Computer Society.
because messages are "echoed" from one BBS to another on their way around the world.cT
commentary
Not only that, there's this wonderful column in the Commentary section...
browsing
You know, paging through the World Almanac or Microsoft Bookshelf to see what kind of neat stuff's in there.
thousands
or tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, or millions, even
Personal Information Manager.
windham
which is remarkable in that this is not the type of music I normally enjoy.
and respond to
Wnstaafl
Wnstaafl
Xnstaafl
Y`Xnstaafl
Xnstaafl
crazy
I know what you're going to say. "What about BBS's? Most of them are free, aren't they?" Well, yes, but if you're crazy enough to run a BBS, you're probably crazy enough to run it for free.
devry
Then again, it could've just been plain old fashioned procrastination. But it *sounds* better the other way, doesn't it?
My alma mater. It seemed like a good time to work them in..
hwnet2
probably a Lantastic network, so my configurations will already be in place.
nerdslife
This is the kind of thing that makes a nerd's life worth living.gU
remed
he offered to tell me how, but I politely declined. The Nerd has his limits.
Of course, as the race progressed, I ended up watching it *instead of* working on the column, but without the notebook, I may not have worked on it at all.
heavy
as in 20 pounds, fully loaded. And I only weigh 100 myself!}W
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